Mumbai, Dec 10: The Mumbai Airport Customs in 15 cases over the past eight days have seized smuggled drugs worth ₹43 crore, gold worth ₹1.51 crore and diamonds valued at ₹87 lakh.

According to the Customs, during December 03 till December 10 they detected ten cases of smuggling of hydroponic weed.

“Based on spot profiling, a total of 37.26 kg of suspected hydroponic weed valued at approximately ₹37.26 crore in the illicit market were recovered under seven cases from nine passengers who had arrived from Bangkok via various flights and were arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act,” said a Customs officer.

“The modus operandi used by the accused in these cases were that the passengers attempted to smuggle hydroponic weed by concealing the contraband inside the trolley bags and using the baggage tags of another flight to avoid detection by Customs Officers. In some cases, the passengers attempted to smuggle hydroponic weed by concealing the contraband inside the lumps of tamarind to avoid detection,” the officer said.

In three other cases, based on specific intelligence, a total of 6 kg of suspected hydroponic weed, valued at approximately ₹6 crore in the illicit market were recovered from three passengers who had arrived from Bangkok via various flights and were arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act.

“Other than the NDPS cases, four gold smuggling cases were booked in which a total of 1,256 grams of gold valued at ₹1.51 crore were recovered and seized from four passengers. In one case, diamonds valued at ₹87.75 lakh were recovered and seized from one passenger,” the officer said.

Mumbai: Like every year, this year too, the 33rd annual gathering of the Sunni Dawat-e-Islami Movement is being held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, December 12, 13 and 14 at Azad Maidan, Wadi Noor, opposite CST, Mumbai. Like last year, this year too, the gathering on the first day, Friday, will be for women only, while the remaining two days will be reserved for men. Insha Allah, many scholars, preachers and mashaikhs from the country and abroad will participate in this global gathering. The preparations for the gathering were started last Saturday in the evening after the weekly central gathering. Urdu Media In-charge Maulana Mazhar Hussain Alimi said that the leaders of the movement are making full efforts to make the three-day gathering a success. Efforts are being made to provide all possible facilities so that the audience and attendees do not face any kind of trouble. As per tradition, this year too, the three-day global gathering will be broadcast live on sdichannel, which will be directly accessible to those who wish to learn religious teachings from all over the world. The women’s gathering on the first day will feature speeches on important topics such as “Women’s Intellectual Taste”, “Women’s Real Ornament: High Character and Modesty”, and “Women’s Share in Inheritance”. In addition, the researcher of modern issues Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Nizamuddin (President Mufti of Jamia Ashrafia Mubarakpur) will answer questions asked by women about Islam. Ameer Sunni Dawat-e-Islami and the spiritual leader of this gathering, the great preacher Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Shakir Noori, has appealed to people to participate in the gathering as much as possible, understand the message of religion and act on it. Ameer Sunni Dawat-e-Islami has said that they should also come and bring their friends and thus become a means of transmitting religion. He has appealed to Muslims to send women from their homes to the gathering on the first day so that they can Attend the gathering to learn religious teachings, improve themselves and advise others. There will be important speeches by great scholars and preachers in the gathering on the second and third days. There will be detailed speeches on important topics such as “The Miracle of the Holy Quran”, “The Spiritual Life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), “The Envoy of Peace (PBUH), “Searching for Humans in Humans”, “Ethics and Spiritual Training of Youth”, “Religious Information and Artificial Intelligence”, “Signs of the Pleasure and Displeasure of Allah Almighty”. Islamic thinker Allama Qamar-uz-Zaman Azmi (Secretary General World Islamic Mission London) will deliver a speech on the third day. Insha Allah, the commentator of the Quran, Khalifah Mufti Azam Hind, Hazrat Allama Zaheeruddin Khan Rizvi, will also deliver an insightful speech. In the gathering on the third day, there will be a gathering after Zuhr prayers, followed by a lecture on the latest issues of Bukhari Sharif, in which the last hadith of Bukhari Sharif will be delivered by Hazrat Allama Mufti Muhammad Nizamuddin Rizvi (Jami’ Ashrafia Mubarakpur). On this occasion, prayers are accepted in the presence of the Lord, so be sure to participate in this prayer as well.

In order to facilitate the participants of the gathering, a large number of ablution rooms and toilets are being built, and more than sixty cameras are being installed throughout the gathering as part of security arrangements. In addition, about two thousand women will volunteer for the women’s gathering, while more than one thousand male volunteers will serve in the gathering on the second and third days. The police have requested the participants of the gathering not to bring handy cameras, laptops, wires, batteries, matchboxes, lighters, nail cutters and other electronic equipment that runs on batteries. For security reasons, parking of motorcycles or any other vehicle around the Azad Maidan is not allowed.

Nagpur: In yet another success to the Maharashtra government’s campaign to end left-wing extremism, 11 CPI (Maoist) commanders and cadres carrying a cumulative bounty of ₹82 lakh surrendered before the Gadchiroli police on Wednesday morning in the presence of Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla.

The surrendered group includes several high-ranking leaders — Divisional Committee Members, Platoon Committee Members and Area Committee Members — marking one of the most significant mass surrenders in recent years. Security was tightened at the venue as four of the Maoists arrived armed and in full uniform.

Among those who surrendered were Ramesh alias Baju Lekami and Bhima alias Kiran Hidma Kowasi, both Divisional Committee Members of the banned outfit. Senior Platoon Committee members Poriya alias Lucky Adama Gota, Ratan alias Sanna Masu Oyam, and Kamala alias Rago Iriya Veladi also laid down arms. Others include Poriya alias Kumari Bhima Veladi, Ramji alias Mura Lachhu Pungati, Sonu Podiyam alias Ajay, Prakash alias Pandu Pungati, Sita alias Jaini Tonde Pallo, and Sainath Shankar Made.

Local officials believe the surrender has delivered a major blow to Maoist operations across the Dandakaranya region, spanning Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Telangana. The event was attended by Additional Director General (Special Actions) Dr Tshering Dorje, DIG Ankit Goyal, DIG (CRPF) Ajay Kumar Sharma and Superintendent of Police Neelotpal.

Wednesday’s surrender is being hailed as one of the biggest successes for Gadchiroli police since Bhupathi alias Mallojula Venugopal Rao, a Politburo member of the CPI (Maoist), surrendered before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on October 15 along with 60 others.

“This is the beginning of the end of Naxalism in Gadchiroli. We are committed to the Union government’s deadline of March 31, 2026, to eliminate leftwing extremism from India,” DGP Rashmi Shukla said, adding that over 100 Maoists have surrendered in Gadchiroli district this year.